Wagon-rack



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1. J. W. MGMASTER.

WAGON RACK. No. 378,708. Patented Feb. 28, 1888.

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J. W. McMASTER.

WAGON RACK.

Patented Feb. 28, 1888.

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J. W. .MOMASTER. WAGON RAGKL No. 378,703. "Pat'ented Feb. 28, 1 888.

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WAGON-RACK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 378,703, dated February28, 1888.

' Application filed July 9, 1887. Serial No. 243,879. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may conperm Be it known that I, JOHN W. MoMAsrER, ofSparta, in the county of Randolph and State of Illinois, have invented acertain new and useful Improvement in Combined Hay and Stock Racks, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of thisspecification, and in which-- Figure I is a perspective view of my wagonbed and rack, showing the raves or upper rack with the head and tailgates in position for drawing hogs or other stock. Fig. II is alongitudinal side view of the rack with the side raves folded back oroutward and resting on the cross-bearers and bracket supports. It alsoshows the ladder-stakes erected in front for attaching the binder andthe pin-stakes behind, the whole being arranged in position for haulinghay, straw, &c. Fig. III is an end view showing the wagon-bed with therack elevated, the head and tail gates inserted, and the cross-tie rodscoupling the sides together in position for hauling stock. Fig. IV is arear end view of a like figure to that shown in side view, Fig. II,showing the cross-bearers on which the raves are folded back and theangle-brackets that brace them. Fig. V is a vertical cross-section takenon line V V, Fig. II, showing the interior of the rack when in positionfor hauling hay, &c.; and Fig. VI is a front end view of a like figureto that shown in side view in Fig. II and rear end view in a Fig. IV,showing the raves thrown back on the cross-bearer from which theladder-stakes ascend.

My invention relates to devices to facilitate the hauling of stock, hay,straw, &tc.; and the invention consists in features of noveltyhereinafter fully described, and pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, in which similar figures of referenceindicate like parts in all the views, 1 represents the bottom of the"wagon bed or box.

2 are the cross-sills, to which the bottom is secured.

3 3 are the side-boards of the bottom bed.

4 is the head-gate, and 5 the tail-gate, which slide within the cleats 6and 11.

7 are the iron corner and middle straps, Which are secured by rivets Sto the two sideboards on each side of the bed. Screw-bolt terminals 9from the bottom of saidstraps pass through the end and middlecross-sills, and are secured beneath the bed by nuts 10.

13 are the cross-tie rods that pass through perforations in the cleats6, the side boards and straps of the lower bed or rack coupling thecorresponding sides together; and let are thumb-nuts that secure theattachment of said coupling-ties.

The upper ends of the aforesaid corner and middle straps are curvedround to form hingesockets 15, in which the elongated hinge-boltsengage, which also pass through the bent sockets 12 of the iron straps17, thus unitedlyforia ing straphinges that carry the side boards orraves of the upper rack. These elongated pins have a head at one end,andare screw-threaded at the other to engage in theinternal screw of one ofthe end straps, and thus the strap-hinge bolt is seen red in its seat.The said straps are riveted at 18 to the three side-boards 19 at theends and middle of each side of the rack.

When used as a stock-rack, (for hauling the same) the side boards orraves are elevated, as shown in Figs. I and III, the upper headgate, 20,and tail-gate 21 are slid down within the cleats 22, and the uppercross-tie rods, 23, pass through perforations in the cleats and theupper side-boards, coupling the corresponding sides together; and 2a arethumbnuts that secure the attachment of the coup lingties, thus firmlybracing it in its elevated position as a rack for hauling stock.

When used as a hay or straw rack, (for hauling the same,) iron bracketbraces 25 are made to support the middle of the then recumbent raves.The feet of said braces are fastened by bolts 26, that pass throughsocketholes 27 near the ends of the cross-sills, and are secured by nuts28, and at top are fastened to the raves by screw-bolts 29 and theirnuts 32. The ends of the raves at the same time are supported bycross-tree bearers 30,which, when adjusted in the hay-rack form, arefirmly held in their recessed seats 31 at the ends of the upperside-boards of the lower bed by angle-irons 33, fastened by screw-nuttedbolts 34- in the cross-tree bearers and by the screw nutted bolt 35 inthe upper sideboards of the lower bed.

36 represents the ladder that ascends from the forward cross-treebearer, for holding the front end of the binding-pole and for retainingthe end of the lines that guide the team when the loader or teamster isotherwise occupied; and 37 are pins that are inserted in the rearcross-tree bearer.

When the rack is used for hauling stock, and in consequence elevated, asshown in Figs. I and III, the cross-tree bearers and the said ladder andpins, with the braces 25 and angle irons 33, are detached and dispensedwith and the upper end-gates and tie-rods secured in position.

It will be seen that the upper boards of the lower wagon-bed havelongitudinal extensions 39,t0 seat the cross-tree bearersthatsupport theelongated raves of the hay-rack, and the raveboards have longitudinalextensions 40, to extend the raves to the length required for a hayrack.By this means I not only extend the width of the rack when changing fromastoekrack to a hay and straw rack, but increase its length also, andthat above the height that said extension would incommode the action ofthe whiffietrees and the team.

Stockmen frequently experience great inconvenience from having often tochange from the hay-rack to the stock-rack, and vice versa, having notonly to keep separate racks for their diiferent use and to provide roomto bar bor from the weather the racks not then in use, but also, as iswell known by those who have had it to do, it is about the mostlaborious work that is required of the hands to change the heavy wagonbeds and racks.

By the use of my combined stock and hay rack the necessity of liftingoff and putting on different racks for their different eniployinents isavoided, and by a mere change of position and aslight interchange ofparts,without any heavy lifting,the transformation of the rack iseffected for its different uses; also, there is a large saving ofexpense in the construction of the combined rack over the two racks,besides the convenience in handling and in effectiveness.

Besides its two uses in the different forms described relatively asstock and hay racks, the upper rack can easily be unshipped and laidaside,when the lower section will constitute a light skeleton wagon-bedfor hauling corn, grain, sacks, (c. To remove the raves, and thus effectthis change, all that is required is to unscrew and remove the twoelongated bolts 6, that respectively connect the upper and lowersections of the strap-hinges on each side,

when, as seen in Fig. I, the raves can easily be lifted off.

I claim as my invention 1. In a stock and hay rack, the combinatian ofthe cross-sills that carry the bottom 1 with the side-boards 3 andend-gates 4 5 and crosstie rods 13 of the lower bed, the same beingbound by straps 7, said straps, in conjunction with straps 17 and theirconnecting elongated bolts 16, forming strap-hinges, the upper straps ofwhich carry the side boards or raves 19 of the upper rack, which,whenelevated, in conjunction with the end-gates 20 and 21 and cross-tie rods23, constitutes a stock-rack forhauling stock, 850., substantially asdescribed, and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a stock and hay rack, the combination of the lower wagon-bed boundwith straps 7, said straps, in conjunction with straps 17 and theirconnecting elongated bolts,formingstraphinges, the upper straps of whichcarry the raves of the upper rack, which provides the means of unfoldingthe upper section of the vertical sides or raves and turning them downonto the cross-tree bearers 30,with their angleirons 33,and thebracket-braces 25,arranged to widen out the rack for hauling hay, &e.,and the ladder and vertical pins that ascend from the cross'treebearers, all substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

3. .In a stock and hay rack, the combination of the wagon-bed, theelongated pintle-bolts and strap-hinges, the raves that are secured bysaid bolts and.hinges to the'wagon-bed, whereby they are adapted to beswung up in a vertical position, the end-gates and eross tie rodsconstituting therewith a stock-rack, the erosstree bearers at the endsof the wagonbody, and brackctbraces onto which the raves are adapted torestto constitute a hay-rack, or by removal of said raves and theirattachments to constitute a grain-rack, substantially as set forth.

4. In a stock and hay rack, the combination of the skeleton wagonbed,longitudinal extensions 39 to its upper side-boards, cross-tree bearers30, seated on said extensions, and the longitudinal extensions 40, ofrave-boards that rest 011 said bearers to increase the holding capacityof the rack when the raves are extended to form a hay-rack,substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth. 1

In presence of- BEN-IN. A. KNIGHT, SAML. KNIGHT.

JOHN w. MOMASTER.

